How to Write 坻 (chí/dǐ) — Meaning “islet; embankment”

Imagine a small island made of earth (土) shaped like a wedge of cheese, and think of the pinyin 'chí' like 'cheese' to remember it. This pairs the land image with the word for a tiny islet or embankment.

Pay attention to the left and right balance: the left radical 土 should take about one-third of the width, and the right part 氐 should be slightly taller. A common mistake is making the 氐 too wide or forgetting the dot stroke at the bottom of 氐.

While 在 (zài, meaning 'at' or 'exist') also has the 土 radical, its right side is 才, not 氐. 圩 (wéi or xū) means 'dike' or 'fair' and has 于 on the right. 坻 specifically means 'islet' or 'embankment' and is much less common in daily use.

Today 坻 is rarely used on its own except in the place name 宝坻 (Bǎo Dǐ), a district of Tianjin. You might also see it in classical or geographical texts referring to small islands or raised riverbanks.

Common words containing 坻 include: 宝坻 (bǎo dǐ) — Baodi (a district in Tianjin); 水坻 (shuǐ chí) — Islet in the water; 坻伏 (chí fú) — to crouch; to hide.